The Papal Encyclical \u3cem\u3eLaudato Si’\u3c/em\u3e: A Focus on Sustainability Attentive to the Poor

This article seeks to reflect upon Laudato Si’, the papal encyclical on ecology and sustainable development, and uncover its apparent philosophical and practical approach to the environment. It begins with a discussion of paradigms of thought that outline the new ecological paradigm (NEP) suggested in the ecological literature, thereby helping to situate the ecosophy of Laudato Si’ within current thought. As we will show, Laudato Si’ differs from the NEP by linking the poor to our approach to sustainability and in its consideration of integral ecology. Specific principles for sustainability in business are then identified and strategic approaches are recommended, as are guidelines for an eco-justice approach to business and business education

The Healthy Immigrant Effect and Immigrant Selection: Evidence from Four Countries

The existence of a healthy immigrant effect – where immigrants are on average healthier than the native-born – is now a well accepted phenomenon. There are many competing explanations for this phenomenon including health screening by recipient countries, healthy behaviour prior to migration followed by the steady adoption of new country (less) healthy behaviours, and immigrant self-selection where healthier and wealthier people tend to be migrants. We explore the last two of these explanations for the healthy immigrant effect by examining the health outcomes, health behaviours, and socio-economic characteristics of immigrants from a range of source countries in the US, Canada, UK and Australia. We find evidence of strong positive selection effects for immigrants from all regions of origin in terms of education. However, we also find evidence that self-selection in terms of unobservable factors is an important determinant of the better health of recent immigrants.immigrant health, selection effects, smoking, obesity

Taming the Perfect Poison: A Comparative Analysis of the EMEA\u27s EPAR System and the FDA\u27s Improved Warning Protocol

In Europe and the United States, regulatory agencies responsible for monitoring drug safety have struggled to address the health concerns raised by the burgeoning market for minimally invasive cosmetic procedures utilizing botulinum toxins, the active ingredients in Botox. A 2005 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology drew attention to these shortcomings after an analysis of adverse event reports submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) linked twenty-eight patient deaths to Botox-induced respiratory arrest and myocardial infarction. After an independent review of adverse effects reports submitted to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) revealed similar findings in Europe, the FDA and EMEA implemented bolstered product warnings aimed at increasing patient awareness of the drug’s health risks. This Note compares the FDA and EMEA’s heightened warning protocols and argues that the agencies’ recent efforts are unlikely to reduce the number of serious adverse events linked to botulinum toxins

British Society of Gastroenterology guidance for management of inflammatory bowel disease during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic is putting unprecedented pressures on healthcare systems globally. Early insights have been made possible by rapid sharing of data from China and Italy. In the UK, we have rapidly mobilised inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) centres in order that preparations can be made to protect our patients and the clinical services they rely on. This is a novel coronavirus; much is unknown as to how it will affect people with IBD. We also lack information about the impact of different immunosuppressive medications. To address this uncertainty, the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) COVID-19 IBD Working Group has used the best available data and expert opinion to generate a risk grid that groups patients into highest, moderate and lowest risk categories. This grid allows patients to be instructed to follow the UK government's advice for shielding, stringent and standard advice regarding social distancing, respectively. Further considerations are given to service provision, medical and surgical therapy, endoscopy, imaging and clinical trials.This article is freely available via Open Access. Click on the Publisher URL to access it via the publisher's site.published version, accepted version, submitted versio

Adaptations to the British Society of Gastroenterology guidelines on the management of acute severe UC in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: a RAND appropriateness panel

Objective: Management of acute severe UC (ASUC) during the novel COVID-19 pandemic presents significant dilemmas. We aimed to provide COVID-19-specific guidance using current British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) guidelines as a reference point. Design: We convened a RAND appropriateness panel comprising 14 gastroenterologists and an IBD nurse consultant supplemented by surgical and COVID-19 experts. Panellists rated the appropriateness of interventions for ASUC in the context of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Median scores and disagreement index (DI) were calculated. Results were discussed at a moderated meeting prior to a second survey. Results: Panellists recommended that patients with ASUC should be isolated throughout their hospital stay and should have a SARS-CoV-2 swab performed on admission. Patients with a positive swab should be discussed with COVID-19 specialists. As per BSG guidance, intravenous hydrocortisone was considered appropriate as initial management; only in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia was its use deemed uncertain. In patients requiring rescue therapy, infliximab with continuing steroids was recommended. Delaying colectomy because of COVID-19 was deemed inappropriate. Steroid tapering as per BSG guidance was deemed appropriate for all patients apart from those with COVID-19 pneumonia in whom a 4-6 week taper was preferred. Post-ASUC maintenance therapy was dependent on SARS-CoV-2 status but, in general, biologics were more likely to be deemed appropriate than azathioprine or tofacitinib. Panellists deemed prophylactic anticoagulation postdischarge to be appropriate in patients with a positive SARS-CoV-2 swab.This article is freely available via Open Access. Click on the Publisher URL to access it via the publisher's site.PMI is supported by a grant from the Medical Research Council [MR/T005564/1]published version, accepted version, submitted versio

Seismic Design Manual for Interlocking Compressed Earth Blocks

Seismic Design Manual for Interlocking Compressed Earth Blocks Nicholas Edwards Kennedy This thesis presents a comprehensive seismic design manual to be used to design and construct simple Interlocking Compressed Earth Block (ICEB) structures in seismically active regions. ICEBs are earth blocks made primarily of soil and stabilized with cement. They have female and male stud mechanisms designed to interlock when stacked, eliminating the need for mortar. The blocks can accept reinforcement and grout after they are placed. While ICEB construction is similar to conventional masonry construction, current design code standards for masonry only partially capture the actual behavior of ICEB structures. This thesis seeks to supplement the existing masonry design procedures and tailor them for use with ICEBs. Additionally, this paper presents a preliminary design of ICEB shear walls for a disaster reconstruction project in the Philippines. While many structures in Southeast Asia and the Malay Archipelago are constructed from earthen blocks, very few are engineered. Of those that are, a lack of formal design guidance specific to ICEB construction leaves most engineers and designers with conventional concrete masonry design practices, some of which are not applicable for use with ICEBs

The impact of perceived export barriers on export performance : a case study of Ghanaian non-traditional firms

Over the years there have been substantive studies albeit contradictory findings on the relationship between perceived export barriers and export performance (Madsen, 1987; Zou and Stan, 1998; Aaby and Slater, 1989), on firms of different sizes and resources across a wide variety of industries. In spite of the increasing research on export performance in business studies, the major focus has mainly been on studies within the scope of western market context. There have been relatively few studies done with respect to this in a developing market context such as sub-Saharan Africa and particularly Ghana. This literary gap has been the main motivation for this thesis. We reviewed prior literature and conducted a survey of 100 Ghanaian non-traditional export firms. Our findings supported our main hypothesis that there is a negative relationship between perceived export barriers and export performance. Other findings support the hypothesis that internal management forces and firm size had a negative relationship with perceived export barriers. However, two of our hypotheses that firm internationalization had a negative relationship with perceived export barriers and that firm commitment had a positive relationship with export performance were not support Findings from this study adds up to prior literature by isolating for discussion variables which contribute to the improvement of both perceived export barriers and export performance measures in a sub-Saharan African country context. Some of the noted limitations during our study include the following; first, scanty research work on problems pertaining to exporting firms from developing countries served as a major limitation of our work. The lack of research on the subject with particular reference to developing country context indicates the lack of theories and methodologies developed specifically for the context of a sub-Saharan African country. Findings from this study can be adapted to serve as a guide in the development of a questionnaire for a survey of small and medium scale exporters from other developing countries. This research work may also serves as an important guide for future researchers who intend to study export problems in other developing countries. Moreover, policy makers in developing countries can use this work to identify export problems that firms face in order to provide timely and effective assistance to small and medium scale enterprises engaged in export ventures

One size fits all?: The effect of equivalence scales on Indigenous and other Australian poverty

Indigenous households are more likely to be multi-generational and have several families in residence than other Australian households. Equivalence scales attempt to control for family size and composition and the relative costs of maintaining various families. We use the 1995 National Health Survey to examine how variations in the assumptions underlying equivalence scales, such as household composition and economies of size, affect poverty measures for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Our results show that the choice of equivalence scale affects the level and composition of poverty. This is evident in that variations in the assumption about the costs of children can increase Indigenous poverty by a factor of two-and-a-half. We also examine how equivalence scale variations can induce large threshold effects, and demonstrate the influence of zero and negative incomes in our data set on the composition of poverty